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After more than two years of living under the COVID-19 pandemic, we've learned that the virus is very capable of taking the world by surprise. The latest curveball has been coping with the Omicron variant, which sent cases soaring to their highest levels in the U.S. when they peaked in January. Now, the BA.2 subvariant of the virus is causing cases to rise in other parts of the world as it continues to spread. But how is the latest viral offshoot different from its predecessors? Read on to see which three symptoms could mean you've come down with the BA.2 COVID variant.

TERKAIT:I'm Boosted and Got Omicron—This Was My Worst Symptom by Far.

As spring kicks off, COVID cases are holding steady on their months-long decline in the U.S. But the change in seasons also means the return of seasonal allergies, which have made it notoriously difficult to distinguish between a COVID infection and your body's reaction to higher pollen levels. Because of these similarities, some experts point out that feeling any of the most common BA.2 symptoms make it necessary to reach for a swab.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB.

"The fact is you can't tell the difference without a test. You need to take a test," Celine Gounder, MD, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told CBS News during a March 22 interview. "You could have the sniffles, you could have a cough, you could have a sore throat, it could be from COVID, it could be from the flu, it could be from seasonal allergies. So if you have those symptoms, just take a uji."

Even as doctors and scientists are still trying to map the exact differences in how newer versions of the virus can make people feel, there's evidence pointing to the fact that you can still expect many familiar COVID warning signs. "The symptoms of the Omicron variant, which includes the BA.2 lineage, and the Delta variant, are similar,"Erica Johnson, MD, the chair of the Infectious Disease Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine and doctor of internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, tells Parade. "In general, common symptoms include fever, cough, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, and fatigue. Some people may experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some may also experience changes in taste or smell."

Some of the most specific available data on Omicron symptoms comes from the U.K. Zoe COVID Study App, which collects reports from a large pool of participants. According to information from people who recently tested positive and are believed to have been infected with BA.2, 80 percent reported having a runny nose, followed by 65 to 70 percent of respondents reporting fatigue, sneezing, sore throat, and headache. In addition, half of the recently infected participants reported a persistent cough, while 31 percent reported running a fever and 23 percent reported a change in their ability to smell, Tim Spector, one of the project's founders, told Newsweek.

When asked if analysts had noticed any specific difference between BA.2 and the original Omicron, Spector replied: "We are not seeing any obvious change in symptoms—just more cases!"

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The rise of BA.2 has caused concern among the medical community. The latest viral offshoot is believed to be 50 to 60 percent more transmissible than the already highly contagious Omicron, with its rapid spread making it the dominant strain globally as the cause of 86 percent of all sequenced cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And while cases continue their downward trend in the U.S. for the moment, a rising proportion of infections caused by BA.2 has some officials concerned that the spikes in other countries could soon begin domestically.

"Kami melihat uptick coronavirus di air limbah - jadi itulah air selokan Anda - jadi kami tahu bahwa ada peningkatan transisi di seluruh negeri," kata Gounder kepada CBS News. "Pertanyaan sebenarnya adalah apakah itu menerjemahkan ke penyakit parah, rawat inap, dan kematian. Dan itu benar-benar tergantung pada apakah orang divaksinasi dan didorong, jika mereka memiliki infeksi baru-baru ini - jadi katakanlah atas liburan dengan Omicron, mereka mungkin memiliki beberapa perlindungan Itu - dan jika mereka lansia atau immunocompromised, mereka tentu berisiko lebih tinggi. "

Tetap saja, beberapa pejabat tetap optimis dengan hati-hati itu sementara mungkin adalonjakan infeksi covid Selama berminggu-minggu mendatang, kenaikan drastis lainnya lebih kecil. "Intinya adalah kita mungkin akan melihat uptick dalam kasus-kasus, seperti yang telah kita lihat di negara-negara Eropa, khususnya U.K.," Chief White House Covid AdvisorerAnthony Fauci., MD, berkata selama penampilan di ABCMinggu ini Pada 20 Maret. "Semoga kita tidak akan melihat lonjakan - saya tidak berpikir kita akan melakukannya."

Fauci mengakui bahwa sementara BA.2 mempresentasikan serangkaian tantangan unik karena transmisinya, ada tanda-tanda dari negara lain yang adaLonjakan yang akan datang mungkin berbeda. "Ketika Anda melihat kasus-kasus itu, mereka tampaknya tidak lebih parah, dan mereka tidak muncul untuk menghindari respons imun baik dari vaksin atau infeksi sebelumnya," katanya.

Ketika ditanya apakah sudah waktunya untuk menghidupkan kembali pembatasan perlindungan untuk mencegah lonjakan, Fauci menjawab bahwa mereka tidak perlu. Tetapi dia melakukan advokasi untuk langkah-langkah lain yang dapat dilakukan para pejabat untuk melindungi terhadap virus di masa depan untuk memastikan tindakan pencegahan semacam itu tidak akan diperlukan lagi. "Cara termudah untuk mencegah [lonjakan] akan terus membuat orang divaksinasi. Dan bagi mereka yang telah divaksinasi, untuk terus membuatnya didorong, jadi itu benar-benar di mana kita berdiri sekarang," katanya.

TERKAIT:Jika Anda melihat ini di wajah Anda, itu bisa menjadi gejala omicron.